I experienced the visual imagery on Monday night. I attended a gala in San Francisco and parked my car in a public parking garage on the purple level. After several hours at the event, my boyfriend and I returned to the garage to get my car and we realized shortly thereafter we were walking in the wrong direction. I had a mental image in my mind, almost like a photograph, of where my car was, which cars it was parked next to, the column on the left side, the restaurants we passed to get to the event etc. We walked across the block to the correct parking garage at finally got to the car. I created a strong mental image of my car and the environment around me to remember with a location that I knew helped create retrieval cues that allowed access to the items in my mind (PSU World Campus, Lesson 13).

Visual imagery is the ability to “recreate the sensory world in absence of visual stimuli” (Goldstein, 2011). A more simple way to explain visual imagery is information passing through the brain as though something is being perceived, when nothing is happening. It is almost as though visual imagery is the imagination because we can visualize a very real scene in our minds. People have the ability to imagine environments, smells and stimuli, which his a mental image (Goldstein, 2011).

Visual imagery is used in therapy quite frequently as a tool for those learning to manage their stress or relax (Goldstein, 2011). People may be led through a mental vacation through visualizations as a part of therapy when they are dealing with issues. Psychologist’s can also use visual imagery as an assessment to see how well a patient is functioning, and doctors can use brain scans and visual imagery to assess damage or injury (Goldstein, 2011). Guided visual imagery is frequently also used in meditation for many religious traditions.

On another note, I recently read an article, “How Artistic Brains Dier,” which discusses the differences between brains of artists and non-artists. The brains of the artists have more developed structures in the parietal lobe, allowing them to manipulate visual imagery more easily. Here is the article:

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/39749/title/How-Artistic-Brains-Differ/

References:

Goldstein, B. (2011). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research and Everyday Experience, 3rd Edition. Wadsworth, Inc.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2014). PSYCH 256 Lesson 12: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp14/psych256/002/content/13_lesson/09_page.html

A New Drug Therapy May Reverse Memory Loss

A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests that memory loss doesn’t have to be inevitable; a new drug therapy could possibly reverse memory loss according to researchers at the University of Florida suggests that memory loss doesn’t have to be inevitable; a new drug therapy could possibly reverse memory loss. This drug therapy could potentially help the aging population of baby boomers who don’t have Alzheimer’s, but those who struggle with remembering day-to-day items. This study was conducted on laboratory rats, and is not yet ready to test on humans.

The working memory is “a limited-capacity system for temporary storage and manipulation of information for complex tasks such as comprehension, learning, and reasoning” (Goldstein, pg. 131). This form of memory relies on a balance of chemicals in the brain (PSU World Campus, Lesson 5). During this study, researchers found that the chemical balance in elderly people was altered—their brain produces too much of a chemical which in turn slows down neural activity and leads to memory decline. The chemical is GABA, an inhibitory brain neurotransmitter (Goldstein, 2011). It is important to have a normal balanced level of GABA because it helps maintain perfect cell activation (Goldstein, 2011).

In the study, “rats had to remember the location of a lever for short periods of up to 30 seconds” in the Skinner box. Both young and old rats could remember the location for a brief period of time, but as the time lengthened the old rats had a more difficult time remembering the location of the lever (Whitman, 2014). The older rats experienced more memory problems because they had more problems with their GABA receptors (Whitman, 2014). The drug researchers tested on the rats blocked GABA receptors, “mimicking” the lower number of receptors the old rats had when they were younger (Whitman, 2014). This in turn restored their working memory to the level of the younger rats.

I think that this is a very strong study, and is very important in the movement for improving cognitive health. Because we are living longer, it is important to maximize quality of life for the elderly.

Resources

Goldstein, E. B. (2011). Chapter 5: Short Term and Working Memory. Cognitive psychology: connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (3rd ed., pp. 114-145). Australia: Wadsworth Pub Co.

Whiteman, Honor. “New Drug Could Reverse Age-related Cognitive Decline.” Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 8 Mar. 2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.

I have been an avid coffee drinker for quite sometime—every morning I go to my local Starbucks and pick up a cup of coffee. Caffeine is the energy booster that people choose when they need to be awake; whether it is tea, coffee, or soda. After reading Chapter 1 of our textbook, Cognitive Psychology, I became very curious about the phenomenon of memory consolidation. Memory consolidation is “the process in which experiences or information that has entered the memory system becomes strengthened and resistant to interference caused by other events or trauma” (Goldstein, 2011). I also wondered about what effects memory consolidation and retention, as well as how to improve it. A new study suggests that caffeine can “sharpen” our memory, increase our awareness, as well as boost our long-term memory (Gatlin, 2014). This study is one of the first of its kind to determine the effects of caffeine on memory.

John Hopkins University researchers conducted a double-blind trial that had participants take either a 200mg caffeine pill (equivalent to a cup of coffee) or a placebo pill. When consumed shortly after a “learning session,” it enhanced image recognition and recall. At the “learning session” participants were shown several images. The following day participants were showed the images from the previous day, as well as new images. John Hopkins researchers wanted to test pattern separation, which if the brain’s ability to differentiate similar images. Pattern separation is also an indicator of long-term memory retention.

The participants who took the caffeine dosage during the “learning session” were able to recognize the images more successfully, than those who were given the placebo. Dr. Michael Yassa, University of California, Irvine, said, “Caffeine enhanced consolidation of long-term memories” (Gatlin, 2014). On the other hand, high doses of caffeine can have negative effects: such as headaches, nausea, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and you don’t get the benefits of memory enhancement! The ideal dosage of caffeine to experience memory benefits is about 200 mg of caffeine (Gatlin, 2014).

Memory consolidation begins on the synaptic level, which is where the brain creates new pathways for information (Goldstein, 2011). The “neural map” can take days, weeks, months or years to be made—it allows for memories to be retrieved when needed. The entire process of memory recognition helps to strengthen information in the long-term memory” (Goldstein, 2011). Coffee helps to enhance and speed up this process.

While reading this article a few days ago I enjoyed a cup of coffee. I think that I retained the information much better because I was alert and focused, which in turn improved my memory consolidation. According to the FDA, about 80% of Americans consume 200mg, or one cup of coffee, per day—the same amount as this study (Borota, Murray, Keceli, Chang, Watabe, Ly, Toscano & Yassa, 2014). Now we have an excuse to drink more coffee.

Sources:

Borota, D., Murray, E., Keceli, G., Chang, A., Watabe, J., Ly, M., Toscano, J., & Yassa, M. (2014). Post-study caffeine administration enhances memory consolidation in humans. Nature Publishing Group, 17(2), 201-203. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nn.3623

Gatlin, L. (2014, January 12). Caffeine has positive effect on memory, johns hopkins researchers say. Retrieved from http://hub.jhu.edu/2014/01/12/caffeine-enhances-memory

Goldstein, E. B., (2011). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, And Everyday Experience   (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. (Original work published 2005)

Kristensen, L.  (2010). Coffee [Online image].
Retrieved January 31, 2014 from https://www.shutterstock.com